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A cover letter is a short narrative introduction to you and your work. It should be short and personal, establishing your connection to the company and job. The way you start a cover letter will depend upon your mode of communication. For example, formal email and letter writing differ greatly.

Steps

Sample Cover Letters

Method1

Starting a Traditional Cover Letter

1

Ensure you are being asked to submit by mail. Just as most jobs are now advertised online, most cover letters are submitted by email. If you are applying via letter, it is most likely for a company that is more traditional or a position that is higher ranking.

2

Write your cover letter on professional letterhead, if you have it. If you do not have letterhead, it is ok to skip this step. If you are currently employed as a consultant or if you are applying for a contract, you should have letterhead made.

3

Date the cover letter at the top right or top left of the page.

4

Include the company’s department and address next. This should follow the standard format of a formal letter.

5

Research the name of the person looking at the resume. Before you start the letter with “Dear Hiring Manager:” look at the email, company website and job posting to see if they contain the name of the person in charge of hiring.

This attention to detail and personalization in your salutation can make a big difference next to hundreds of cover letters that say “To Whom it May Concern:”

If you cannot find the name of the person, address it “Dear Department Head” with the name of the department to which you are applying.”

If you cannot find the name of the department, try “Dear Director” or “Dear Hiring Manager.” [1]

Use LinkedIn to find the hiring manager’s name.

6

Mention the name of a staff member or referral in your opening line. This is the preferred opener for all cover letters, because it establishes a connection to the company.

For example, “John Smith recommended that I get in touch with you about the general manager position at EnviroRent.”

If you do not know anyone at the company, do some research to establish a distinctive first line. Your next choice can be admiring a recent lecture, job or initiative the company did that attracted you.

If you have a strong alumni association, use it to get in touch with someone, and references someone, who attended your college.

7

Follow with a standard 4-paragraph cover letter. After your intro sentences, your next goal is to summarize your career in 1 to 2 sentences. Next, include a paragraph with your accomplishments and a paragraph explaining how you plan to be in touch.

8

End with “Sincerely” before your signature. Include your contact information below your signature.

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Method 1 Quiz

How should you start a traditional cover letter?

Use colored paper to stand out.

Nope! Colored paper is unprofessional and can get your cover letter tossed in the trash. Instead, print your cover letter on professional letterhead, if you have it. If not, use plain white paper. Choose another answer!

Place the date at the bottom of the page.

Not necessarily! The date should be the first item on your cover letter in the top right or left corner. If you use a template, remember to change the date! This is something many people fail to remember and a small mistake that could cost you a big job! There’s a better option out there!

Address the letter "To Whom it May Concern."

Not exactly! Look at the email, company website and job posting to see if they contain the name of the person in charge of hiring. This attention to detail and personalization in your salutation can make a big difference next to hundreds of cover letters. If you cannot find the name of the person, address it “Dear Department Head” with the name of the department to which you are applying.” If you cannot find the name of the department, try “Dear Director” or “Dear Hiring Manager.” Try again...

Summarize your career in the first two sentences.

Not quite! You should mention the name of a staff member or referral in your opening line. This is the preferred opener for all cover letters because it establishes a connection to the company. If you don't know anyone, try contacting your alumni association to find someone who works at the company. Pick another answer!

None of the above.

Nice! For a traditional cover letter, use letterhead, place the date in the top right or left corner, address it to a specific person (if possible) and mention a referral in your introduction sentence. Don't forget to end with “Sincerely” and your signature! Read on for another quiz question.

Method2

Starting an Email Cover Letter

1

Underline any possible keywords in the job description. You may also choose to write down other keywords that apply to the position or industry. Large companies use keyword crawlers to sort through hundreds of thousands of resumes, so make sure you include a few buzzwords that directly apply to the job. [2]

However, you should never cut and paste directly from the job description. Always bring up the concepts in your own words.

If you don’t feel comfortable describing yourself, reference the position name.

3

Skip the date and company address. You will lead directly with a salutation.

4

Write “Dear” and the name of the hiring manager, followed by a colon. Take the time to research the person in the job positing, company website or on LinkedIn.

Use Mr. or Mrs. only if you are sure of the gender and marital status. When in doubt, just include the full name of the person.

If you are unable to find the person’s name, address the department or “Dear Hiring Manager.”

5

Lead the first paragraph by mentioning a contact or referral at the company. Just like with the formal cover letter, if you cannot make a connection, tell a story about why the company has caught your eye. [4]

6

Use the next paragraph to summarize your career. Follow with your accomplishments. Include only your impressive figures that directly apply to the cover letter narrative and the job. [5]

7

Finish with a sentence about when you will be in touch. Include “Sincerely” and then your full name.

Make sure your contact information is included in the signature.

8

Attach your resume. To avoid problems with hitting the Send button early, finish, proof and fill out the subject line of your email before typing the hiring manager’s email address in the “To” line.

9

Send the cover letter email from a professional email, rather than a personal email. Choose Gmail over Hotmail or Yahoo; however, an email from your personal website or Outlook will be better. [6]

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Method 2 Quiz

What should you include in an email cover letter?

Your resume in the body of the email.

Definitely not! Your resume should be an attachment to the email. To avoid accidentally hitting the Send button early, finish, proof and fill out the subject line of your email before typing the hiring manager’s email address in the “To” line. There’s a better option out there!

The company's address.

Not quite! Because you are not mailing the letter, you do not need to include the company's address. Start directly with the salutation. Pick another answer!

Today's date.

Nope! The recipient will see the date in their email program, so you don't need to clutter up your cover letter with it. Start directly with the salutation. Guess again!

Possible keywords.

Yes! Include any possible keywords from industry terms and the job description. Look for the company's job description on the business' website or through a job search site to find the job description and pull keywords from that document. Large companies use keyword crawlers to sort through thousands of resumes, so make sure you include a few of these buzzwords that directly apply to the job. Read on for another quiz question.

Method3

General Cover Letter Tips

1

Remember that the larger the company is, the shorter your cover letter should be. Unless they have asked for specific information in the cover letter, you can condense the cover letter from 4 paragraphs to 2, in order to increase your chances of it being read.

2

Proof your cover letter no less than 5 times. Ask someone else to also proof it before you send it out. Never rely on spell check in any word processing or email program.

3

Write drafts of email cover letters in a rich text format program, such as Text Edit or Notepad. Word formats your text, so it may not align correctly when pasted into an email program.

If you choose to cut and paste, it may show through if you cut or pasted from any other texts, such as the job posting. Text colors, fonts and italics may have a different look in a different program.

4

Mirror the style of the job posting. If it is playful, your tone can be more playful. Always err on the side of caution, being more formal than informal.

5

Read and reread the job posting to find any specific application instructions. They will always trump these general rules of cover letter writing.

6

Use spaces between your paragraphs, rather than indentations.

7

Don’t forget to attach your resume.

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Method 3 Quiz

True or False: Cutting and pasting may show through if you borrowed from any other text.

True

Right! You may cut and paste the formatting as well, which can cause parts of your letter to be different fonts or colors. If you do cut and paste, proof your cover letter no less than 5 times, and ask someone else to also proof it before you send it out. Read on for another quiz question.

False

Not quite! Text colors, fonts and italics may have a different look in a different program, and these different looks might copy over if you try cutting and pasting your text. Addiitonally, word processing programs format your text, so it may not align correctly when pasted into an email program. Try writing drafts of email cover letters in a rich text format program instead. If you do choose to cut and paste, make sure you proofread! Try another answer...

To start a cover letter, date the letter at the top right or top left of the page. Include the company’s department and address next, in the same format as a formal letter. If you can, try to find the name of the hiring manager on the company website so you can address the letter to them personally. Otherwise, address the letter “Dear Department Head,” with the name of the department to which you are applying. The first line of your letter should mention a personal reference whenever possible.

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Article Info

wikiHow is a wiki similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are written collaboratively. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 6 references. This article has also been viewed 244,072 times.